Black Velvet
by Lady SLV
Summary: CH2 UP!A Heart broken woman and her young son accidentaly step into Narutos world. will she be able to overcome her loss and find love again? OCxMulti rated T just in case. Reviews welcome!
1. Chapter 1

**Standard disclaimer**: I don't own any copy written characters, places or storylines. I only own Dinah and Carson and this plot-line. Nor do I make any money off this story.

**A/N**: hopefully this one goes better than my last few attempts at OC stories. I keep holding myself to impossible standards and that only leads to disappointment sigh

Anyway, I mentioned this is OC so if that sort of thing bugs you please go read something else. If not, then please read and enjoy! Oh and if you like it let me know with a review :) reviews are gold to non-published authors….after you get published reviews are the bane of your existence, or so I hear.

**Black Velvet**

**Chapter 1- what's he late for?**

Dinah winced as the screen door slammed shut behind her. 'I need to get that fixed' she thought, as she had every day since the hydraulic arm had quit 6 months ago. Clutching Carson hand tightly she hurried to the curb waving her free hand wildly to stop the big yellow school bus from pulling away. Releasing Carson hand, she dashed the last few steps and handed over the forgotten lunch bag to her 6 year old daughter Rebecca. Waving as the bus pulled away, Dinah turned around just in time to catch Carson running towards the street.

"Carson, you don't run away from momma like that!" she gently admonished the 2 year old. "Would you like to go to the park for a little bit?" Carson grinned and bounced against her hip in happiness.

They walk to the park was quiet, Carson held her hand without protest, an event worthy of an announcement in the newspaper. When they reached the gates Dinah leaned down to Carson level and spoke into his ear

"You need to stay where momma can see you and NO running away, you hear?" she released his hand as the boy nodded, the serious look on his face melting into a gigantic grin. His mothers warning forgotten he ran as fast as his chubby little legs would carry him onto the playground. Dinah sighed deeply and jogged after him, reaching the edge of the rubber matting just in time to hear the obligatory "momma watch!" demand. She sat on the wooden bench and watched as he ran in circles, climbed, slid and swung on the colorful equipment.

Dinah glanced at her watch, eyes widening. An hour had passed by in a flash and if she didn't hurry Carson's happy playtime would turn into indignant howls commanding she produce lunch. She stood and called to the precocious pre-schooler, her eyes scanning the playground with increasing panic.

"Carson? Carson Hajji Preston you get over here right now!" she shouted, trying to hide the fear that was seeping into her voice. A joyful giggle sounded from the underbrush that circled the playground. Following the sound Dinah plunged into the thick shrubbery, her bag banging against her hip in an uneven staccato. Further and further into the forest she ran, glad that the cool fall air had prompted her to dress in jeans and a sweater.

She paused and listened trying to find the tots laughing voice to lead her on again. A happy squeal to her left spurred her on once again. A great crash filled the air and Dinah increased her pace truly scared for the first time since her son had decided to play an impromptu game of hide and seek.

Emerging into a sunny clearing she spotted Carson standing 10 feet in front of her. He was oblivious to his mothers' arrival as he watched what looked like a battle of epic proportions. Dinah stared in awe as the figures came at each other with lightning speed, only to clash and retreat with the same quickness. "What the hell?!" Dinah whispered.

Carson heard his mother's exclamation and turned his gaze to her with a grin before taking off again, headed straight into the battle taking place in front of them.

"Carson, NO! Stop right now!" Dinah ran as fast as she could to catch him before he ended up getting hurt. A man stepped into the child's path and easily lifted him up, swinging him around a bit before handing him to an out of breath Dinah.

"Wook, momma pie-wet!" Carson exclaimed, pointing at the man who had saved him from a nasty mishap.

"Pie-wet? Oh pirate!" she looked at the silver haired man with interest and laughed, for he did look a bit like a pirate with his headband draped over his left eye. She quickly regained control and looked into the visible eye "thank you so much! He just runs off and well, he has no concept of danger yet, so yeah, thanks again" she began to walk back towards the tree line they had emerged from. A hand on her arm stopped her and she glanced at the gloved hand, following it up an arm to the face of the strange savior.

"Where are you going?" his voice was a pleasant tone, not too deep and not too high, with just a hint of ego behind it. "There is nothing that way for miles, until you reach the desert border"

Dinah opened her mouth, and then closed it, a bit like a fish gasping for air. In a faint voice she asked "nothing for miles, you say? But that's not possible, we just came from the park back that way and it's almost lunchtime for Carson so I'm afraid we must be going now" while she spoke the two that had been battling before came to stand beside him, their interest peaked. The dark haired one with the odd eyes spoke up

"You must be mistaken, Kakashi is correct; there is nothing until you reach Suna. At least 3 days travel from here" he folded his arms across his chest.

"look, like I said before I appreciate the save of my baby but I know where we were and I know which way we came and there has to be some mistake _you_ are making here, not me" Dinah for all her confusion fell back on her old stand-by, indignant attitude. "So if you don't mind, we need to get moving and get home before Becca gets home from school and is confused as to where we are." With a quick jerk she wrenched her arm out of the loose grasp and stalked off into the forest without a backwards glance.

"Neji follow her and make sure she doesn't get into trouble." Kakashi muttered

Neji nodded and took off into the trees silently.

"Shall I go inform Lady Tsunade?" the question startled Kakashi out of his thoughts. Sparing a glance at the tree line, Kakashi shook his head "No Shino, lets wait until we find out more about her first, no reason to get everyone up in arms over nothing"

Shino was silent, his eyes trained on the spot where the woman had disappeared.

Dinah walked quickly towards that place they had entered this strange forest. Carson whimpered in her arms, his small features reflecting the anxiety she was radiating. On and on she wandered, swearing to herself that each step would be the one to lead them back to the playground and home. After 45 minutes of fruitless searching, her arms felt as if they were going to fall off from the weight of her son. Setting him down on the ground she squatted next to him, digging through her bag for the small cache of snacks she kept for times when she knew she would miss a meal.

"Here, Car-car, want a granola bar?" unwrapping the snack she handed it and a cup of juice to the child He promptly devoured the contents of the cup and half the bar in seconds. Dinah munched on some raisins watching him. He picked up a leaf and swung it through the air making quiet zooming noises, paying no mind to his mother. Dinah's skin crawled and she whipped her head around. The feeling of being watched was growing to epic proportions yet she couldn't quite ferret out where the sensation was coming from.

"Alright, enough games, I know you're there so just come out already" she spoke loudly "you were right! Okay? You were right and I was wrong and we are completely lost so please just come out!" she smiled a secret smile to herself when the boy with the odd eyes jumped down from the tree in front of her with the fluid grace of a feline.

His face bore a cocky smirk as if he knew she would admit her mistake even before she herself knew. It annoyed Dinah while simultaneously attracting her, just as her late husband had a subconscious habit of doing. In fact, this man had a similar appearance with his long dark hair and almost feminine features. Carson looked up from his makeshift rocket leaf and grinned. He hurled himself at the man, locking his arms around his leg.

"Daddy! Daddy home!" the child screeched up at a confused Neji. Neji looked at Dinah with the unspoken question in his eyes. Dinah shrugged and grimaced

"You look a lot like his father. He died this past spring." She coughed to deflect the tears that always fell when she talked about Leo "I didn't think Carson would remember what he looked like, he's so young" she gathered up the spent cup and tucked it back into her bag. She stood before Neji and sighed "alright, strange man with the odd eyes, lets go"

"My name is Neji and my eyes aren't so odd, almost everyone in my clan has them." She leaned down and scooped up the boy, watching slightly fascinated as the child twirled a loose lock of dark hair between his fingers, winding and twisting but never pulling. "I am to assume this boy is called Carson?"

Dinah nodded "that's my Carson and I am Dinah. Let's see, what else do you need to know?" the question posed more to herself than to him as they began to walk. Neji understood this and walked at a slow pace; waiting for her to decide which information she should share with this stranger. "I'm 24, Carson is almost 3, and his birthday is 2 weeks away. I used to be a teacher but I quit my job when Carson was born, I had planned to go back once he was old enough for school. I have an older child, Rebecca, she is six. Oh, I have a talent for candy making and sculpture…I think that's about it"

Neji had watched her as she spoke, noting the strange golden glow that seemed to emanate from what should have been a chakra network. She did not seem aware of it, and he dismissed it, filing away the information for a later time. They stepped back into the clearing from before finding Kakashi and Shino waiting for them. Ignoring the strange looks being directed at him, he moved to hand the boy to Dinah only to discover the child had fallen asleep on his shoulder, tiny fingers still entwined in his hair. Dinah smiled and stroked the sleeping tots heads softly

"If you don't mind carrying him a bit longer, it's probably best not to wake him…trust me" she turned her attention to the other two men who were asking questions Neji had already Heard the answers to. His attention focused on the small body snuggled up to him, warm breath whispering on his neck. The slight thud of a heartbeat against his chest stirred something in Neji he couldn't quite name. Entry into the village was swift without event, Neji barely noticed as he struggled to put this off feeling into something he could comprehend.

'_Comfort, warmth, safety, love…that's close but not quite right'_ he thought, climbing the steps to the Hokage office. A hand resting on his arm interrupted his thoughts and he glanced over to see Dinah's' nervous smile. He spoke softly "do not worry. Lady Tsunade is a bit rough but kind"

Stopping at a set of grand double doors Neji motioned to the bench, indicating she should wait. As he attempted to hand Carson to her, the child began to whine and tightened his grasp on Nejis hair

"You can take him with you. I-I trust you" Dinah said softly. Neji gave her a tiny twitch of his lips, almost a smile and readjusted his grip on the boy, giving an internal sigh of relief when the child stopped whimpering and relaxed his grip on the dark locks. The door swung closed behind him and Dinah was left alone with her thoughts.

Tsunades head was propped in her hands "Once more from the beginning guys" she sighed.

Kakashi related the tale again, finding the woman, Neji tracking her and bringing her back. Neji filled in their ages and Dinah's profession, swaying slightly without noticing he was doing the 'baby rock' as Dinah called it.

"Okay, why is Neji holding the kid?" she asked, confusion displayed openly at the usually stoic Hyuga cradling a toddler and rocking him gently

"He fell asleep on me during the walk and it was in everyone's best interest to not wake him prematurely" Neji said simply, as if it were obvious.

Tsunade rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair she stretched her arms over her head, out the window plucking a squirming ball of black and orange off the outer wall, depositing him in a heap on the floor.

"Naruto, why are you spying?" she didn't allow him a chance to speak before continuing "you will sit over there and shut up and if you say one word I will punch you so hard you won't be able to eat for a week, clear?" eyes wide, he nodded and sat on the indicated chair. "Alright Shino go get this woman, this Dinah and show her in" Kakashi watched with interest as she went from slightly exasperated and worn out to the posture and poise of a queen.

Dinah walked cautiously behind Shino, promising herself that she would stay calm and cool no matter what. Her promise was broken almost immediately as she laid her eyes on a gorgeous woman who had cleavage deep enough to swim in. snapping her gaping mouth shut she attempted to regain her composure. She failed miserably.

"So, Dinah right?" Tsunade waited for Dinah to nod before continuing "welcome to Konoha. You and your son are welcome to stay here but there are a few conditions you'll have to agree to first…" Tsunade kept talking but all Dinah could hear were the words _stay here_ echoing in her head.

"Uh excuse me Ma'am" Dinah interrupted "but, I can't stay here, I have to get back home. I have a six year old who will be coming home from school soon and if I'm not there she's going to freak out. I have to be there for her, ever since the accident she's terrified I will end up as my late husband did and she will be alone"

Naruto piped up, tactless and asked "what's he late for?"

Dinah looked at the blonde with a straight face and deadpanned "his next birthday"

Turning back to Tsunade she continued "can't you send me home? Please?"

Tsunades eyes softened and she smiled "I wish we could but until we know more, we will be unable to even attempt such a thing. As I was saying, we will set you up in a home here for now and you will be under guard until we are sure you are not a threat to the village" holding her hand up to stop Dinah's protest "it is a necessary precaution, you understand. Well lets get you set up in an apartment and make sure you have everything you need to be comfortable for the time being" she reached into a drawer and handed Neji a packet and a key "Please take her there and you will be keeping an eye on things for the night, Kakashi will relieve you in the morning"

The Hokage watched as they filed out of her office, a frown marring her beautiful face. '_What aren't you saying Hyuga'_ she thought '_I know there's something but what?_'

**A/N**: soooo there's the beginning down. And before you get all crazy on me, I do NOT know who she is ending up with. I'm just going to show each shinobis day with her and we'll see where my muse takes me.

Before I get called on it, I'll freely admit I stole the "what's he late for" line from the movie thirteenth ghost…it was such a great line I had to use it and I totally only put Naruto in there so he could say it. It seems like something he'd say he he

As a side note, I may lose my internet due to financial hardship but should that happen I'll find a way to get it posted, even if I have to go to the library to do it :) just be patient with me, it's hard to get a story to be cohesive and all without going over it a few times.


	2. Chapter 2

Standard disclaimer: to quote another FF author 'if I owned it, I wouldn't be here, would I?'

A/n: why does this site hate my page breaks? Blah, blah I say! Well here's our next installment, I warn you I have been drinking tonight so who knows how this will turn out.

And to the person who emailed me to inform me that OC's are the bane of the fan fiction world I have two words for you…suck it. I like OC's and so do a lot of other people. We just need more well written 'they come to our world' stories…well enjoy the new chapter and review if you like it, or review if you hate it, but be polite, that's all I ask!!

Black Velvet

Chapter 2-

Dinah had marveled at the clean streets, she had gaped at the friendly shop keepers and she had stared openly at several teenagers racing over the roof tops. Carson had woken up in good spirits and he happily skipped along between his mother and Neji, tolerating the necessary shopping trips and squealing in delight when he was presented with a lolly pop at the grocers. The candy was soon forgotten when they entered a clean yet sparse apartment. Dinah busied herself putting perishables in the empty fridge and folding their new clothing, while Carson ran around in circles singing some crazy song about 'pie-wets' and 'no-bees'.

Neji watched the child feeling slightly exhausted just viewing the hyper active antics. "Doesn't he ever stop?" he asked Dinah. She smiled broadly and shook her head

"He'll wind down after a few hours, but he's always ready to run once he's slept" she folded a set of mini pajamas and set them onto the tiled breakfast bar. "Of course, he does have his down days but he is beyond energetic. Leo was like that, always full of energy and life" a sob caught in her throat and she felt a tear begin its hot decent down her cheek "I'm sorry Neji" she wiped the errant tear away and forced a smile "it's still hard to talk about you see"

Neji nodded silently, pondering his next words carefully. He wanted to ask, hell, he was dying to ask but he had been bred with tact and he resisted this impulse by asking a less offensive question "so you make candy?"

His tone was so false that Dinah couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay so you're polite, I get it. How about this? Next time you have baby sitting duty, you can ask me anything you want, okay?" she tilted her head and gave him a half-grin that made the indignant response on his lips melt away

"Sounds fair to me" he gave her a smile in return, though his thoughts were anything but smiling _'how is it I feel so relaxed around her? Is it the kid? No…maybe it's her eyes_' he was still buried deep in this quagmire when her voice broke through

"And I really enjoyed it so I tried making spun sugar myself and when I perfected it I just knew that making candy was something I was totally in love with" her face was radiating light and well, youth.

Neji mentally kicked himself '_did I really think that?! I need to stay far away from Lee. The be-jump suited weirdness is wearing off on me_'

He watched as she made dinner; something she called a 'kassa-roll', watched as she bathed the boy and dressed him in kunai printed pajamas. He observed as she told him some absurd story about a princess detecting a pea under 800 mattresses and tucked him in. he sat on a bar stool watching her wash the dishes and found himself drawn into her simple gestures; The sigh that made her breasts heave upwards, the stretch of her shoulders that caused her back to arch and her eyelids to flutter delicately. She placed a pot of water on the stove and measured out sugar. Neji watched as she melted the sugar and used a newly purchased whisk to produce shimmering strands of liquid sugar.

"Watch closely now, it's almost magical" she added a few drops of red food coloring and a cinnamon flavoring. Neji watched as she flipped her wrist nimbly and strands of spun sugar began to loop onto a sheet of parchment paper. She wound it around and around, forming a nest. Once she had used the red up she added a drop of blue to some melted sugar at the softball stage and let it cool for a moment before rolling and shaping the soft candy into the shape of birds. She placed them into the nest and held it up "see! Blue birds and a cozy nest!" she set it on the counter and gave Neji a grin. "What can I say? I love making candy and I love making art!"

Neji returned her grin with one of his own. He helped her clean up the soiled pans, their elbows bumping thanks to her being left handed. Dinah dried her hands on a cloth and smiled up at him. "Well it's late so I'm going to turn in for the night." She paused almost thoughtful in her expression. She reached out and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks for everything Neji, good night" she murmured as she turned away.

"Good night, Dinah-Chan" he replied before settling himself on a chair in the corner of the living room. 'Good night indeed' he thought

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next day Dinah awoke to the sound of breathing. A touch on her nose made her open her eyes only to find Carson sitting on the bed, his face inches from hers.

"Car-Car, we've talked about that. You scared me half out of my wits kiddo" she teased and ruffled his sleep mused hair gently. "So you want breakfast?"

The tot bounced on his knees chanting "beck-fist, beck-fist!" until Dinah got out of the warm cocoon of blankets and wiped the sleep from her eyes. Pulling on her jeans she padded down the hall after Carson, who was doing a strange hop skip walk while continuing his chant.

Dinah set him up with a cup of milk and began fixing scrambled eggs. A voice from the far side of the room startled her and the egg she was holding fell to the floor with a wet crack.

"Good morning" she whipped around body tensed. At the sight of yesterday's baby saver she let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"Good morning, Kakashi, right?" when he nodded she offered him a smile "you scared the living day lights out of me" placing a plate in front of the boy she crossed the room, sitting on the couch beside the silver-haired stranger.

"Neji left around 8 this morning" he said neglecting to mention he should have left at 6 "I've just been reading waiting for you two to wake up" Dinah noticed the small book laying in his lap and snatched it up. After flipping a few pages she handed it back to him.

"Nice, shame I can't read your language" she said with a chuckle "still, you're never too old for picture books I guess, particularly those kind of pictures" she winked at him.

She stood and headed over to the pre-schooler who was demanding more milk, leaving Kakashi to stare after her shocked '_well, well finally a woman who doesn't think me a pervert for reading this._' Taking up the book to hide the slight blush on his cheeks, he pretended to read '_I could get used to a lady like her, that's for sure'_

After they had eaten and dressed for the day Kakashi offered to show them around town. Dinah accepted and after a minor wailing incident involving a lost shoe, they were out and about, wandering around town with Carson seated on Kakashis' shoulders so he could see everything. He pointed out places of interest, the better restaurants and shops as well as a small playground only a few blocks from their new home. Two hours of riding on strong shoulders had made Carson restless and he let the grown ups know this by bringing a small fist down on the top of Kakashis' head a few times. Wincing he set the child on the ground and gave Dinah a smiling eye

"I guess he was tired of riding" he said with a chuckle, rubbing his head where the boy had bonked him. "Looks like we're stopping at the park, he's ready to play."

Carson had taken off towards the playground as soon as his feet hit the ground, not noticing or caring if his mother kept up.

"It's all good" Dinah said, linking her arm in Kakashis. "I could use a rest anyway and it looks like there's a bench over there" pointing to the far side of the play area. They sat and Kakashi asked the question she was dreading answering, one she knew would only make her sound like a crazy lady.

He shifted his position so he could see both her and the boy and asked "so just where are you from? You aren't from here, that much is obvious, you confirmed that this morning when you couldn't read my book. So where did you come from?"

Dinah looked at her hands, and then studied a bit of grass growing near her feet. "I'm not sure how to answer that question" he motioned for her to continue "lets see we're from a place called Happy Valley, which is in a state called Pennsylvania. Now the state is in the country of the United States of America which is on the continent called north America" she sighed "it's really confusing to explain but I have something back at the house that can help me show you" she gazed into his eye sadly "as for how we got here, your guess is as good as mine on that one, this is some whacked out Harry Potter shit right here"

"Well if you can show me, maybe I will understand. But how are you going to do that? Do you have a map or something?" Kakashi patted her hand "no matter, it'll all be okay, you're amongst friends here"

They chatted a bit until Carson came over asking for his lunch. Kakashi led them to a shop and they browsed the various and sundry items. Their guide had disappeared into the back of the store leaving them to wander around. He reappeared a few minutes later with a small bag in his hand, only giving Dinah a happy eye when she asked what he had purchased.

Back at the apartment, Carson dug into the best grilled cheese sandwich of his life, thanks to the fresh bread and cheese the grocer had sold them the day before. That had puzzled Dinah at the time, there was little to no convenience food items on the shelves here, it was all fresh or hand made. Kakashi watched the child eat while Dinah made them tea, his hand tapping against the tiles in a soothing rhythm. When Carson had finished, even eating the crusts (Dinah had whispered conspiratorially to Kakashi that the kid never ate the crusts) Kakashi leaned over to the boy "do you like presents?"

Carson's eyes went wide and he plastered on his most charming grin "yes!" was the firm and enthusiastic answer.

His smile grew all the wider when Kakashi handed him the paper sack he had gotten earlier "go ahead and open it" he said returning the child's smile with one of his own.

Carson dug into the bag and pulled out a set of wooden ninjas, each one bearing the Konoha symbol on the tiny painted forehead protectors. They were the perfect size for the boys' hands. Their arms and legs all moved on hand crafted hinges, making them true action figures. "Do you like them? Now you have your very own shinobi to protect you."

Carson studied them and said "my no-bees? All mine?" looking up, his face a mask of seriousness.

"yep, Carson, all yours" the boy rocket off his seat and wrapped his arms around Kakashis middle, giving him the kind of bear hug only small children give. Quickly recovering from his surprise he ruffled the boy's hair and smiled. "Now why don't you go play with them while I talk to your mother for a bit?"

Carson bolted down the hall to his room leaving the adults in silence.

"He likes you" Dinah said knowingly as she dug through the bag she had brought with her "He doesn't usually say more than a word or two to strangers, so consider yourself a lucky man" straightening up she placed a thin red box on the counter; the cord in the back she plugged into the outlet before rounding the bar to sit on Carson's vacated stool. Dinah flipped the box around and pressed a button, unlatching the top and pulling it up. She pushed a small sliver tab and Kakashi watched curiously as the box began to whir to life, beeping every so often.

Dinah waited for the lap top to finish booting all the while muttering to herself "hmmm I wonder if I can get wi-fi here? Nah, probably not. So much for email and reading fan fiction now" Dinah blushed when she noticed she had been speaking aloud "sorry I talk to myself a lot, it's a habit."

The desktop came into view and Kakashi was treated to a drawing of a girl with green hair and the biggest breasts he had ever seen "yeah, you like my wallpaper? I try different ones but I just love this chick" she opened up an encyclopedia program and found the atlas. "Okay, this is my state" she said, pointing at the screen "and this is my country" flipping to a world map. "Any questions?"

Kakashi studied the map, mulling over what she was showing him. He cleared his throat "I have just one question" he eyed Dinah cautiously before he finished his sentence "do you have any more pictures of that girl?"

Dinah blinked then laughed hard from deep within her belly. When she had regained some control she said nothing, simply double clicked on a folder titled _hot anime babes_ and showed him how to flip the pages


End file.
